CBC Flashcards

1
Q

Reticulocyte

A

immature RBCs

elevated in hemolytic anemia

measures the effectiveness of erythropoiesis

reticular network of ribosomal RNA visible when stained with methylene blue on microscopy

**not part of the CBC

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2
Q

differential CBC vs CBC

A

Regular CBC does not break down the #’s and Types of WBCs

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3
Q

Leukocytosis

A

elevated leukocytes

leukocytes >11

  • indication for a differential
  • causes of elevation:
    • INFECTION →should always look at previous CBCw and trends
    • steroids (mild elevation)
    • cancers
    • catastrophic events (trauma, MI surgery)
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4
Q

Leukopenia

A

decreased leukocytes

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5
Q

agranular leukocytes

A

lymphocytes and monocytes

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6
Q

granular leukocytes

A

basophil, neutrophil, eosinophil

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7
Q

Neutrophils

A

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PNMs) “Polys”

  • fight bacteria and fungus
  • attracted by chemokines
  • de-granulate antimicrobial proteins
  • Two forms:
    • bands and segs
      • segmented: senior/mature cell
      • bands: baby/immature cell
  • Left shift! → recruits the immature band form
  • Absolute #: 1.8-7.7K
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8
Q

Segmented Neutrophil

A

Senior/mature cell

normal = 50-62% of WBCs

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9
Q

Banded Neutrophil

A

Baby/immature cell

normally only 3-5% of WBCs

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10
Q

WBC count

A

4.5-11K

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11
Q

RBC

A

4.5-5.9M

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12
Q

Hgb

A

14-18g/dL

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13
Q

Hematocrit

A

40-52

  • percentage of packed RBC to total volume of blood
  • HCT is approx HGB x 3
  • calculated RBC x MCV
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14
Q

MCV

A

Mean Cell Volume ( SIZE )

80-100 fL

microcytic <80fL

macrocytic >100fL

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15
Q

MCH

A

Mean Corpuscular Hgb (average hgb/RBC)

27-33pg

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16
Q

MCHC

A

Mean Corpuscular Hgb Concentration (REDNESS)

32-36%

normochromic= normal redness

hypochromic = less red

hyperchromic = more red

17
Q

Platelet count

A

1.30-4.00K/MM3

18
Q

RDW

A

Ratio of Distribution Wide

how variable is the size of the RBCs

0.0-14.7%

19
Q

MPV

A

mean platelet volume

6.8-10.0fL

20
Q

ANC

A

Absolute Neutrophil Count

1.8-7.7K/MM

  • mild neutropenia 1000-1500 cells/MM
    • increased risk of infection
  • ANC < 500 cells/MM severe neutropenia
    • pt will fail to control local flora/common pathogens
      • lots of infections!
  • includes both bands and segs!
21
Q

What can trigger demargination of neutrophils aside from infection?

A
  • steroids
  • major trauma
  • both will cause a small increase in ANC (absolute neutrophil count)
22
Q

Lymphocytes

A
  • 1.0-4.8K/MM3 (16-45%)
  • fight viral infections
  • important in antibody formation
  • types of Lymphocytes:
    • B cells
    • helper T cells
    • cytotoxic T cell
    • regulatory T cell
    • natural killer cell
23
Q

Monocytes

A

0.1-0.8K/MM3

  • 3-10% of WBCs
  • attracted by chemokines and differentiate into macrophages and dendritic cells
  • fight both viral and bacterial infections
  • in TB:
    • form wall around the MTB= create a granuloma
24
Q

Eosinophils

A

0.0-0.5K/MM3

  • Normal range: 0-7%
  • present in tissues and mucous membranes
  • fight parasites and helminths
  • elevated in allergic response
  • release toxic granules that can cause extreme reaction
25
Q

Basophils

A

0.0-0.2K/MM3

  • 0-2%
  • contain heparin and histamine
    • large dark granules
  • allergy and stress response
  • can be elevated in leukemia
26
Q

how to remember the WBCs

A

Never Let Monkeys Eat Bananas

  • Neutrophils: 1.8-7.7K
  • Lymphocytes: 1.0-4.8K
  • Monocytes: 0.1-0.8K
  • Eosinophils: 0.0-0.5K
  • Basophils: 0.0-0.2K
27
Q

Thrombocytopenia

A

low plateletes

increased bleeding risk

caused by decreased production, increased destruction or sequestration

28
Q

Thrombocytosis

A

high platelets

increased clotting risk

  • reactive: overproduction after infection, traumatic event, splenectomy
  • essential: myeloproliferation (blood cancer)
29
Q

Echinocytes

A

Burr Cells

small blunt projections, uniformly spaced over the red cells

ccells maintain the central pallor

liver disease

uremia

30
Q

Acanthocytes

A

Spur Cells

irregular projections

associated with cirrhosis

31
Q

Sickle Cell Anemia

A
  • inherited HbS gene from both parents
  • abnormally shaped cells that cause stacking or sticking
  • chronic low level anemia due to hemolysis hbg 8-10
  • impaired splenic function
    • small infarcs in the spleen
  • Howell-Jolly Bodies on smear
    • fragment of nucleus left over in RBC (usually cleaned out by the spleen)
32
Q

Rouleaux Formation

A

stacked RBCs in linear distrubtion

appearance of stacked coins

indication of multiple myeloma

33
Q

WBCs during acute bacterial infx vs later bacterial infx

A

acute bacterial: PMNs, bands

later stages: lymphocytes increase

overall: WBC = high

34
Q

WBCs during acute viral infx

A

lymphocytes are predominant

  • overall WBC may be normal or decreased
    • can also be slightly elevated but not as high as bacterial
35
Q

CRP

A

not part of CBC, c-reactive protein

direct measurement

  • higher CRP = more inflammation in your body
  • isn’t unique to one disease
  • can help monitor disease progress and flares
  • Shows up before ESR
  • produced by the liver when it is exposed to immune complexes
  • peaks at 36-50 hours
    • half life of 5-7 hours
36
Q

ESR

A

erythrocyte sedimentation rate

(not part of CBC)

increased ESR = sinking faster

indirect measurement: indicator of inflammatory process

  • high ESR signals high levels of inflammation in the body
  • can help to evaluate how well tx is working
  • pts with autoimmune disease will have a high ESR
  • associated with fibrinogen
  • peaks at 7-10 days
    • half-life measured in weeks
37
Q

Procalcitonin

A

produced by cells in the body often in response to bacterial infx or tissue injury

can be used to identify systemic bacterial infections and sepsis

  • <0.5micrograms/L = systemic infection unlikely